JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C 24/11/08

 

S*N*O / CONSTANTS IN AN EVER GHA NGING UNIVERSE

 

S*N*O or (Stonewall Noise Orchestra) are a Swedish Stoner band and like the recent Dozer and Bison BC albums is a really good listen and even if you don’t usually listen to Stoner Rock there is plenty of good songs to keep you entertained and that’s what its all about.

 

There is nothing groundbreaking on this CD but what you get is top notch, with songs full of melody, great guitar playing and that unique Stoner sound that is hard to mistake, one listen to the lengthy workout of “Clone Baby” will leave you salivating for more.  Not all the songs are long and drawn out, take the shorter “Skyscraper Moments”, “Headlights” or “Venus Travel Agency” for instance, just as good and still full of great haunting guitar workouts.

 

There have been some really good Stoner albums out this year and S*N*O can now be added to the list and the high quality of the song writhing makes them accessible to all and not just the Stoner aficionados, anther soled album of the week.

 

WEBSITE      http://www.snoband.com/

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 57 + 12 TRACKS

 

 

WOLD WIDE METAL / VA

 

Its that time of year again and lots of best of and compilations get released and this is one of those but I have to say its one of the better ones, if your looking for that present for that special someone who is a Metal head you cant go wrong with this compilation from Earache Records.

 

For starters it has 85 choice cuts from the labels catalogue clocking in at well over 6 ½ hours of music, with 85 tracks and a PC Game called Extreme Racing all for under a tenner, when the PC game first came out a couple of years ago, it alone would cost over that so value for money is amazing.  The 5 CD / 1 DVD set comes in a snazzy little box and is split into 4 geographical areas, 2 fro the USA and 1 each for UK, Europe and Scandinavia so who on it well anyone who’s anyone past and present.

 

USA disc’s highlights include; Deicide “Desecration”, Morbid Angel, “Immortal Rites”, Bonded By Blood, “Psychotic Pulse”, Order of Ennead, “The Culling”, Usurper, “Warriors Of Iron And Rust” to name but a few.  The UK disc includes; Napalm Death, “Mentally Murdered”, Ackercocke “Enraptured By Evil”, Evile,”Bathed In Blood”, Iron Monkey, “666 Pack” and Dub War, “Million Dollar Love”.  The European disc has; Decapitated, “The First Damned”, Without Face, “In The Garden” as well as tracks by Linea 77, Ephel Duath, Forest Stream and Severe Torture.  The Scandinavian disc is the real jewel in the crown with fantastic tracks from for me as it includes classics from; The Haunted, At The Gates, Entombed, Mortiss, Misery Loves Company, Cult Of Luna, Corporation 187 and Anata to name but 8.

 

If you’re looking to by something for that Metal maniac that is very fussy and has almost everything you can’t go wrong with this superb set and that not even mentioning the PC racing game!

 

WEBSITE      http://www.earache.com/

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 6 ½ HOURS, + 85 TRACKS OVER 5 DISCS